Kansas Jayhawks to retire jerseys of volleyball greats Ainise Havili and Kelsie Payne
Setter Ainise Havili and right side hitter Kelsie Payne, who led Kansas’ volleyball team to a Final Four berth in 2015 and Big 12 championship in 2016, will be the first players in KU volleyball history to have their jerseys retired in a ceremony on Saturday at Horejsi Center in Lawrence.
Havili, a three-time All-American and two time Big 12 setter of the year from Fort Worth, Texas, currently is a volunteer assistant for Purdue’s volleyball team. Payne, a two-time All-American and 2016 Big 12 player of the year from Austin, Texas, currently plays for a professional team in Ankara, Turkey.
Best friends, they both are in Lawrence for the jersey retirement ceremony, to take place at the conclusion of the current KU team’s 2:30 p.m. match Saturday against Omaha.
“It’s so full circle, so surreal. I can’t even put it into words. I don’t even know how to explain it,” Havili, KU’s all-time leader in assists (5,255) and double doubles (63) said in a joint interview with Payne on Friday afternoon at Horejsi.
“If you told me that, I would never have believed you,” Payne, KU’s all-time leader in kills (1,510) and attack percentage (.334) added of emerging as one of KU’s all-time greats after setting records for most career blocks and best single-season hitting percentage at John B. Connally High School in Austin. Havili was team MVP all four years at Haltom High in Fort Worth.
The two are thrilled they were able to coordinate plans so both could have their jerseys retired the same day in Lawrence.
“I remember him (coach Ray Bechard) saying this is a special moment obviously. We want to make it a special moment for you (two) individually. I was like, ‘It makes it more special that it’s together,’” Havili said.
“Definitely together, not apart,” noted Payne, KU’s all-time leader in kills.
The two KU greats have plans on being teammates of sorts again sometime in the future.
The 5-foot-11, 26-year-old Havili has retired from competitive volleyball after playing professionally in Sweden, Germany and Turkey. The 6-3, 26-year-old Payne wants to play two or three more years. Now in her fifth season of pro volleyball, she’s played in Brazil, Switzerland, two seasons in South Korea and this one in Turkey.
“As soon as I get a job, you have a job. I swear,” Havili, who wants to be a head coach someday, said to Payne during Friday’s interview session.
“As soon as she gets a head coaching job somewhere I’m going to be her assistant. That’s my plan. That’s what I’m waiting on, why I’m still playing,” Payne said with a smile.
The two were roommates in Lawrence for three years and often roomed together on the road during their career (2014-17).
The duo recalled a specific moment when both thought for the first time they just might go down as two of KU’s all-time greats.
“After the Elite Eight game when we beat USC (in 2015 in NCAAs to get to Final Four), we were roommates at the hotel in San Diego,” Havili said. “We got back about midnight. We were wired. We were awake in our hotel room. We were staring at each other.
“(I said), ‘Dude, you are really good.’ She was like, ‘You are really good.’ (We said), ‘We’re both really good,’’’ Havili added. “We never spoke about it again. It was an unspoken word: ‘I expect a lot out of you; you expect a lot out of me.’ If we lose we kind of put it on ourselves. We were roommates three years and Madison (Rigdon) too,” Havili added.
The players said it was indeed an honor to be the first Jayhawks to be recognized in this way. Several members of that Final Four team as well as their incoming recruiting class (2014) are back for Saturday’s ceremony.
“Being the first it makes me more excited for what’s to come, who is going to come in and be the underdog and nobody’s going to expect a lot out of them. They’re going to come in and win Big 12 player of the year, be All-America,” said Havili, who wore jersey No. 11 at KU, said.
Of her pro career that is ongoing, Payne, who wore No. 8 at KU, said: “The best country? Lifestyle wise I’d say Switzerland. It was beautiful. I had so much fun. The girls are all so sweet. It was for sure best. I can’t complain,” she added, asked about getting to play for pay in a country such as Brazil. “They have all been so different.”
